(Before this,) We sent Moses The Book, and appointed his brother Aaron with him as minister; 35 Then We said: Go together unto the folk who have denied Our revelations. Then We destroyed them, a complete destruction. 36 And the people of Noah - when they denied the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them for mankind a sign. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful punishment. 37 To each of the tribes of Ad, Thamud, the settlers around the well and many generations in between 38 And to every one We gave examples and every one did We destroy with utter destruction. 39 And they [who now deny Our messages] must surely have come across that town which was rained upon by a rain of evil: have they, then, never beheld it [with their minds eye]? But nay, they would not believe in resurrection! 40 Hence, whenever they consider thee, [O Muhammad,] they but make thee a target of their mockery, [saying:] "Is this the one whom God has sent as an apostle? 41 “Possibly he would have misled us away from our Gods had we not been firm upon them”; soon they will know, when they see the punishment, who was astray from the path. 42 Did you see the one who chose his own desires as his God? So will you accept the responsibility of guarding him? 43 Or deemest thou that most of them hear or understand? They are but like unto the cattle; nay, they are even farther astray from the path. 44